Affinity
by SimplyFalling211
Summary: The world has come to an end and the Government has exacted a plan where the phenomenally gifted are paired, a Giver to a Receiver, and used to exterminate the ghosts of people passed. "Of all the people in the freakin' compound, why do I have to be paired with the narcissist?" Naru x Mai
1. Chapter 1

I've had this little plot bunny brewing in my mind for _ages_ and I just couldn't wait any longer to write it out and post it somewhere. I'm just going to post chapter one to see if it garners any attention, and I hope you guys like it!

Chapter 1

Mai inhaled deeply, her muscles relaxing as she concentrated on the life force that stood ten meters away from her. She exhaled, the tips of her auburn hair stirring with her breath as she nodded, allowing her partner to know that she was ready to receive and manipulate his energy. From behind her closed lids, she could see the energy of her partner brighten considerably before he released it, signifying its forced expulsion. The energy flew gracefully towards her awaiting form, her hands cupped in the practiced movements of her _taolu _as she expertly caught the ball of life force. She let the life force seep into her, the energy singing through her veins in white hot tendrils.

She was aware that as his energy rushed through her veins, her own _qi_ began to temper it, the white hot energy cooling considerably as her energy began to mix through it, combining their energies before she expelled it through her fingertips; the energy that had burned upon entry left willingly, now a warm golden tone, as she sent it back to her partner, ready to use. She opened her cinnamon eyes, watching anxiously as her partner held up an onyx tipped arrow; the energy slipping into the stone head before her partner raised the bow that had previously been slung over his shoulder and shot the arrow at a twelve inch thick wood board that stood several meters to his side.

The board exploded in a shower of splinters and scorched pieces of wood.

Slow clapping sounded from above them.

"Excellent! Mai, Zion, that will be all for today's tests. Mai, as usual, you have exceeded any and all of my expectations as a Receiver. Zion, you could use some more practice on your Giving abilities, though. You seem to be forceful with your releases. You may return to your quarters now."

Mai glanced up above her, fiber glass surrounded the observatory nearly one hundred and fifty feet above where she stood. The room that she was in, though spacious, was dank with concrete walls and smooth cement floors. The observatory was graced with her presence multiple times a week, generally with different partners as they sought to find a suitable match for her gift.

Technically speaking, _anyone_ would have been a 'suitable' match for her. Afterall, she was one of two Receivers in the Compound who could manipulate any and all energy that was Given into something other than just what the Giver could use.

She was a perfectly receptive medium. Hence the name, Receivers.

Not all Receivers could manipulate energy the way she did; hardly any of the Receivers she'd come in contact with could focus their _qi_ into the palm of their hand with the ease that she could. The practiced movements of her _taolu_ came naturally to her, born from years of spiritual training to hone her unnatural ability of manipulation.

Aside from being able to refine the unbridled energy of a Giver into something useable, she could manipulate the Giver's energy into something only she could use. Mai was known as a Mender, someone who could heal the broken and injured through her energy control.

Now, there were certainly Receivers and Menders aside from herself in the compound, but the two were never considered exclusive or even synonymous. She was the link between them. A missing link, she wasn't sure, but a link nonetheless.

With a brief wave to Zion, she exited the observatory, turning down a hallway to reach the quarters that she shared with one other person - the only other person that was deemed a special Receiver.

She opened the door to her quarters, greeted with the scent of roasted chicken and potatoes. A hearty meal was almost always required after a session and Mai could feel the fatigue rapidly creeping up on her like the shadowy cast of an eclipsed moon.

Her roommate stood by the sink, nursing a cup of hot tea as she kept a careful eye on the chicken in the oven. Silver eyes flicked up to meet her cinnamon ones, a glow of warm friendliness emanating from her companion.

Rin was a small for a female, but strong. Thick wavy hair fell to her mid-back and reflected the color of a moonless night. Her form was athletic and curved in all of the right places, unblemished skin the only indication of her apparent youthfulness, though she was the same age as Mai herself.

They were both nineteen this year; their birthdays marking the fifth year their world had been brutally snatched away from them.

"How was the session?"

Mai looked up at Rin, her hands beginning to shake as she poured herself a glass of water.

"As always. Captain wasn't pleased with the match, which continues to irritate me because, like you, I'm perfectly receptive. _Anyone_ is my match." Mai huffed, sipping the cool water slowly. The oven let out a beep beside, her signifying the completion of their meal.

"Their just looking for someone who's strong enough. We both know that someone who is of a lesser calibre than ourselves would eventually deteriorate with the spiritual stress that comes with working with us, especially me," Rin smiled wryly as she pulled on oven mitts to take out the chicken. Rin was also a perfectly receptive medium, but aside from that, where Mai's abilities lay as a Mender, Rin was a Chaser. Her additional abilities stemmed from her concise control of the manipulated energy and turning it into melee attacks. Where Mai's ability was defensive, Rin's ability was offensive.

"True," Mai agreed, sighing imperceptibly. A lot of the Givers that she was paired with throughout the course of a week were weaker than her. Meaning that when she refined their energy and mixed it with her own, the energy is something that is actually harder for them to control because, simply put, they weren't strong enough to handle it.

Think of it like this. The Giver could be considered an outlet that outputs a total of 110 V. Mai acts as a Receiver which in turn could correlate to being an adapter that takes in the 110 V and outputs it as 220 V via the infusion of her own energy. The Giver is therefore unable to do anything without the assistance of a capacitor that can survive the absorption of such high amounts of voltage.

In today's experiment, Onyx had been used. Onyx had long since been renown for its absorption properties and retainment abilities. The stone could hold incredible amounts of energy per cubic inch and was sought after by psychokinetic users and mediums alike. Givers used Onyx to keep their energy flows in check. Many of the Givers that lived in the Compound had some form of Onyx accessories, whether it was a necklace or ring, the stone was used to hold the energy that the Giver themselves could not contain.

The two girls ate their dinners while talking of the day's events. Mai had been tested twice today and Rin had been subjected to undergo an intense physical training session that pushed her body to the absolute limits. Chasers were always supposed to be in top physical condition at all times. They were considered the Guard; the people who had no spiritual powers and were used for protection, created of the remnants of the police squadrons that the world had once depended on.

After dinner, Rin had to leave to go through her weekly _taolu_ session with the Compound's highest trained Onmyoji, Lin Koujo.

With the day's events finally catching up to her, Mai retired for the night, taking a quick shower before slipping into her bed, exhaustion overcoming her tired body.

~o0o~

The Captain stared interestedly at the two males that were standing in the observatory. They'd been brought in just that morning, captured from enemy lines and heavily sedated for easy transportation. Both were tall, with leanly athletic builds and absolutely _bristling_ with energy.

Ten meters away from the male with the dark hair and indigo eyes was a three meter tall, one meter thick, iron reinforced concrete block. A gaping hole had been punched through the middle of it, large enough for a fully equipped Chaser to step through easily. The edges were smoking slightly from the intense heat exposure, the iron bars that had reinforced the block welded permanently to the concrete itself.

Beside the brooding male that appeared to have been composed of shadows themselves, stood another Giver. With ash blonde hair, a tan complexion, and analytical brown eyes, this Giver was certainly of equal calibre as his companion, evident only by the perfectly welded ball of metal that sat nearby. Originally starting off as five rods of solid iron, it had taken the blonde male only minutes to complete the given task of welding them together using his raw energy, a feat that would have taken any standard Giver at the Compound hours to complete.

"I've found them," The Captain mused to himself, the light reflecting off of his spectacles as he stared at the two Givers. Neither was uncomfortable with the other, meaning they'd been in the other's presence for quite some time. The Captain smiled to himself, the shadows of the observatory's landing concealing his presence as the brooding male below turned to look over his shoulder, indigo eyes drilling holes into where he knew an unwanted presence was standing there, watching him.

"Oh yes. I've found them _at last_."

~o0o~

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There he was again, that raven haired boy that had the most amazing indigo eyes. He was smiling at her from behind her closed eyelids, such a kind and sincere smile that made her world bloom with warmth and happiness. Mai could only watch him; he simply stood before her, his lips moving but no sound coming forth. It was odd, seeing as one of her most prominent abilities lay in her being able to Astral Project. The boy couldn't have been much older than herself, yet he had a mature face and frustrated look set onto his face now, a grim frown replacing the warm smile as he realized she could hear nothing that he was saying.

"Who are you?"

She thought sadly, her auburn swirling as the familiar feeling of falling caught up with her and she was forced into the waking world by Rin. The ebony haired beauty had irritated silver eyes and she was very clearly irked about something.

"Captain wants us to report to the observatory. It's 3 in the morning."

Mai groaned and flopped back into her bed. She was not a happy person when deprived of her sleep. Rin grabbed both of her wrists and hauled her into a sitting position.

"C'mon, we shan't keep the dictator waiting," Rin sighed, standing and slipping on her lace up combat boots. Mai grumbled to herself as she pulled her sleep mussed hair into a ponytail and pulled on the standard issue training clothes she always wore. A black, form fitting tanktop and black shorts that seemed scandalous to her. Rin wore them and she absolutely rocked them. Her form was envy worthy, mostly because of the intense physical training that she'd been subjected to for the last five years of her life. She was leanly muscular, but not in a masculine way.

Besides, Rin's butt just filled the shorts way better than Mai could ever hope for her's to fill.

As soon as Mai had pulled on her running shoes, black, as you might have guessed, they were out the door, sprinting down the halls because they knew that Captain hated to be kept waiting.

Mai had done some rigorous physical training classes here, but nothing compared to what Rin was subjected to as a Chaser. The sprint wasn't long, and Mai was proud of the fact that she'd managed to keep up with her roommate the entire way. Rin came to a stop, not a hair out of place as she pushed open the door to the ground level of the observatory. Mai walked in beside her, cinnamon eyes weary as she peered into the gloom of the room she'd been so well acquainted with these past few years.

Rin's silver eyes narrowed minutely as she registered that two figures stood, outlined by the dim amounts of light that the wall mounted lamps offered. Her muscles tensed, the idea of keeping Mai safe from the possible danger coming to the forefront of her mind. Her fingertips tingled with energy as she prepared herself. Had she not been wearing boots or the black gloves that she wore, you would be able to see her calves and forearms glowing a cool silvery blue.

Mai was careful to stand slightly behind and to the right of Rin. They'd made a pact during their first year together that Rin was to always be in front of Mai when assessing new dangers because she was more prepared to deal with a physical attack as well as being able to receive energy just like Mai.

The lights slowly came on, the lamps on the walls humming as they were powered up. The first that stood in front of the other was a tall male with ashy blonde hair, his brown eyes assessing Rin and then Mai. His stance was not one that told them he was going to attack, but you could never be sure.

Behind the ashy haired male, was another raven haired male. He was staring to his side, finding something unexpectedly interesting. When the lights came on, he finally turned his aristocratic face towards them.

Mai's breath caught in her throat.

It was him.

The raven haired, indigo eyed boy in her dreams.

Mai had to consciously force herself to remember to breathe again. There was something off about this man. His eyes weren't...warm. They were cold and calculating and filled with nothingness.

It was like looking into a void. There was no emotion, just...nothingness.

"Who are you?"

Rin's voice cut through the obvious tension, razor sharp and as frigid as a brewing snowstorm.

"We could ask you the same thing." The brooding, raven haired male spoke, his voice deep and as unemotional as his eyes. He stepped forward to stand beside the other male, the light reflecting off the gorgeous indigo of his eyes.

"I don't think you have the right to be asking questions." Rin replied, her arms crossed beneath her bosom. Mai knew that was only her way of masking the glow of her forearms when there was too much energy manifested into her skin. If she concentrated, she could see the faint, barely there blue that peeked out from beneath her gloves.

"That means you must be from this base." The ash haired male said. His voice was both smooth and husky, almost as though he'd just woken from a nap.

"And that must mean you're new around here, reinforcing the fact that you shouldn't be asking questions." Rin answered, her aura flaring minutely. Mai placed a placating hand to her partner's upper arm, using her powers to draw away some of the energy that Rin's Chaser abilities were manifesting.

"If I recall, I don't think we ever asked a question in the first place," The raven haired male spoke up again, his eyes zeroed in on Mai. She was too afraid to look away from his glare, so she stared back, hoping her innocent cinnamon eyes didn't make her look like a deer caught in headlights.

"Which is the way it should be," Rin snapped back, her perfectly arched brow twitching in aggravation. "Now, I need names to match to your faces."

There was a moment of silence, almost as though both pairs of people were willing the other to say something. Eventually, the ash blonde male began to speak.

"You may identify me as N. I am a highly experienced Giver." Rin's eyes nodded appreciatively, glad that they were beginning to see things her way. It was never well to try to fight her because she would win.

"Kazuya. Also a Giver." The raven haired man responded unemotionally.

"And yours?" The male named N, prompted.

"Rin. I am a highly experienced, perfectly receptive medium," Rin answered, cheekily turning around his words to reflect upon herself. N smirked to himself, assessing Rin with intelligent brown eyes. He liked her sassiness and confidence. A lot.

"And yours, little doe?" N turned towards Mai, catching a fiery blush at being called a doe. Her innocent looks had garnered a lot of comparisons to baby animals since she began training here.

"I'm Mai. Also a perfectly receptive medium," Mai answered, her voice seemed small in comparison to the three other obviously dominant voices.

"Mai? Shall I call you little dancer, then?" N called out, a smirk lighting up his admittedly handsome features. But this Kazuya figure had her attention. He was much more handsome in real life than her dreams could ever paint him to be.

"A-ah, that's not necessary," Mai said, laughing softly.

"Enough with the chit chat," Rin's voice cut through the air. Her ebony hair was fanned out around her in a halo of shadows. "Why are you here?"

"We were brought here from another base, I think that much can be inferred," Kazuya answered dryly, his indigo eyes never leaving Mai's.

"It was inferred. The underlying question is for what reason are you here for?" Rin clarified, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"And you think we know that answer, Chaser?" N snapped back, his energy roiling around him in tangible waves. She was a Chaser, a huntress, and her lack of control was grating on his last nerve.

"I guess you can sense my energy too, huh?" Rin sneered, her eyes narrowed as she pulled off the black gloves that hid her forearms. Twining around the tanned skin of her forearm were runes that curved delicately around and around, creating marks and symbols that glowed a brilliant silver-blue in the dimly lit observatory.

"Sense it? I can see it rolling from your arms and calves. They must be your main outlets," N retorted sharply, gritting his teeth slightly as he forced himself to calm down, using his mind to encase the tendrils of energy that had managed to escape his usual iron bound grip. It took a bit of effort on his part, but he enjoyed the challenge. After all, he had a feeling that was why they, Kazuya and himself, were here in the first place. A test. that is what this was.

And these two Receivers were part of some masterful plan that F.E.A.R had come up with.

"It would be best if you calmed yourself, Chaser. The Captain here isn't very happy with your initial response," Kazuya stated monotonously, indigo eyes cool and calculating as he surveyed the twining designs of the silvery-blue were fascinating; he'd seen nothing like them before; the runes or the girls.

Perfectly receptive mediums were very rare and usually required extensive amounts of training to accomplish even a fraction of that control and ability to retain, convert, and release a Giver's raw energy.

In his mind, A Giver was like raw ore, say diamonds, for example. You can't just mine the gem and stick it to an alloy of metal and call it a ring. It had to be polished and cut and shined to perfection, and that was the Receiver's job. They did the extensive amounts of work and gave the finished product back to the Giver, who was hopefully wielding some form of onyx weaponry in order to eradicate the apparition that they were facing off against.

That was, after all, F.E.A.R's, main mission.

It was the Forced Eradication of Apparitions with Reason.

The year was 4024. The end of the world as the original settlement of humans was destroyed by a plague in the year of 3896.

So much death had occurred. Fire, destruction, fear, and calamity wrecked the world until only a handful of people who'd been smart and hidden, barricaded in cellars that dated back to the first world war emerged victorious. These people were called The Founders.

They'd founded the first camp, where the first few reproduction cycles of the human race and occurred. It was recorded that there was a chemical in the air that affected certain fetus in the mother's womb and gave them gifts. Those born with these gifts were taken by the Founders to be trained.

The ratio of being gifted versus being normal was 1 in 2,090 births.

Most of the time, the gifts were hardly shown until the early, pre-teen years, where the Founders, who kept a close documentation of every child birthed through the passing years, would hastily snatch them up, bidding the parents farewell as they took their children, screaming and kicking, back to these training facilities.

They said it was for the best.

They said that these children were _special_. That they were a _danger_ to society.

However, the four that stood in the observatory at that very moment were extraordinarily gifted. It was recorded that they'd begun showing traces of being gifted by toddler ages.

Of course, this was merely taken from the last interview their parents had alive with the Founders.

As Kazuya pondered his thoughts, there was a crackle of static overhead before the Captain's voice came on. Deep, and gravelly, accompanied with heavy breathing. Rin breathed in sharply through her nose and clamped down on her energy flow, effectively stopping the glowing within a few scant seconds. N turned his eyes skyward, towards where the crackling came loudest. And Mai simply closed her eyes, waiting on whatever wish the Captain wanted her to fulfill next.

"It's become clear that I've gathered you here for a reason. Two expert Givers and two perfectly receptive Mediums. I want you paired off. Your first assessment will be at first light tomorrow. Rin and N are a pair and Mai and Kazuya are a pair; you will be travelling to where the ruins of New Orleans stood. There is a building that we could use to possibly set up another base but we need it to be _cleared_. Receivers and Givers, pack whatever necessary weaponry you desire and report back here by first light. That is all."

There was sharp bang that echoed off of the dreary walls before there was silence in the room once more.

The air was punctured by a stifled giggle from Rin, her silver eyes narrowed dangerously. Kazuya and N both turned to look at the female. She smirked at them before slinging an arm across Mai's slender shoulders.

"It seems he finally found us our matches. You two."

~*~*~*~*~*~ Fin ~*~*~*~*~*~

So, so, so sorry for not updating guys. School just started and I was away from my beloved computer for pretty much the entire summer, I was at camp for the better part of 6 weeks and they didn't allow phones or computers, so I was pretty much dead on the inside by the time I came back. Anyways, what did you guys think of this? I think this could turn out pretty well, for the twists and turns, and of course, love stories I have got brewing up in my evil head. Anyways, Read and Review! It's much appreciated! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The faint sound of water dripping onto the floor resounded in the room as Rin and Mai made their way into the observatory at the designated time. Dawn was just creeping over the base, but Mai had urged for them to be a little earlier than usual considering the circumstances. Mai was carrying a small bag that held the necessary equipment for her Mender capabilities (a collapsed six ring Heliosphere as well as several Enspirels), as well as a set of elbow length gloves used to help temper the energy of a Giver. Mai had no idea what she was walking into being the partner of the raven haired male; many of the partners she'd worked with in the past, she'd grown accustom to their power signature. Kazuya's power signature could very well be much stronger, hotter, restrained and any other number of characteristics different, than, say, Zion's.

A six ring Heliosphere was common among the Menders to use for concentrating one's energy into a single focal point in order to heal a wound that had been sustained in battle. Without a Heliosphere to concentrate the energy onto one wound at a time, the healing process would take much longer to complete because the energy of the Mender would attempt to heal all wounds at the same time, decreasing efficiency.

An Enspirel was what Mai used to convert the energy she received from a Giver into the healing energy of a Mender. Enspirels are delicate metal sculptures that function as transducers for spiritual energies to facilitate change. Transducers convert energy from one form to another, like changing electricity into sound, which is what allowed a Receiver like Mai to put her natural ability to heal into action.

Rin, on the other hand, had a massive sheath slung over her slender shoulders, easily just as tall, if not taller than her slight form. The case held her chosen weapon as a Chaser; a custom blade that she'd requested within her first year of training. The blade was unlike one that Mai had ever encountered; the initial shape of the sword was formed into a large, sideways 'Z' shape, with the hilt and pommel sitting neatly in the middle section that connected the two parallel pieces. Furthermore, the blade had several curves carved into it, creating a number of dangerously sharp points at the end of each curvature. Running along the metal itself were the same runes that decorated Rin's forearms; they were the tools she used to transfer and temper a Giver's energy, much like Mai's gloves.

Tucked neatly beneath the sheath of her sword was a coiled chain with a crescent shaped blade attached at the end. In the midst of battle, Rin was able to swing the lasso-type attachment of her weapon and neatly decapacitate any opponent that was less than 5 meters away. The dual type weapon was what made Rin one of the most feared Chasers in the rank of the Guard. Paired with her lightning fast reflexes as well as her ability to be a perfect Receiver, she was a force to be reckoned with.

The dimly lit room smelled slightly of dampness and mildew, much like it always had. Even through the darkness, Rin could see the outline of the two males they'd met just hours earlier and whom they would be going on this mission with.

Mai's eyes had zeroed in on Kazuya's lean form. He looked good in the garb of a Giver on a mission; A dark grey, fitted tunic with a deep cowl that was sashed in place with a leather belt worn over a pair of custom fit black pants. Shin guards, delicately fitted gauntlets worn over fingerless gloves, a mantle that would protect their back should they let their guard down, and black lace-up combat boots completed the bodily attire. On the face, there was a head piece that was fitted almost like the basic crosspiece of a helmet that would further protect the wearer from sustaining any head injury. A plated mask covered the lower half of his face, leaving only a thin strip of his pale, milky skin to show alongside his piercing indigo eyes beneath the deep cowl of the hood.

Mai could see a small double sheath, almost invisible against the black fabric of Kazuya's attire. Cinnamon eyes locked on the two hilts of the daggers she saw, surprised that he was going to be using a weapon that was not onyx, unless she was mistaken.

N was dressed the same way as Kazuya, his ash blond hair peeking out from the edges of the cowl. Rin smirked to herself; it wasn't often that a Giver looked as good as the two standing in front of them did in the mission attire. Slung across N's back was a tactical penetration longbow. A quiver of onyx and steel tipped arrows was slung onto his shoulder and his left hand was adorned in Iron Reaver Claws, should a fight become close combat.

Both females were dressed similarly like the men with only slight variations; the mantelpiece that the Givers wore was not present on the girls, instead of a grey tunic, their tunic was a dark blue to signify the status as a Receiver, and the headpiece for the men was also not present, though the plated mask was.

"Are we ready?" N's husky voice was muffled from behind his plated mask. The girls nodded before parting ways to stand by their respective partners.

There was a great rattling sound as the door to the far side of the observatory ground open, revealing the portal that would take them to their next location: New Orleans. The staticky voice of the Captain rang out across the speakers, loud and authoritative.

"Best of wishes to the four of you. The building has been labeled to have high amounts of malevolent spiritual activity. Exterminate all beings."

Rin traded a glance with N and they both nodded in silent agreement; they would watch each other's backs as well as keep an eye out for Mai and Kazuya. There was a crackle of static, letting them know that the Captain had finished speaking. As a unit, they all walked towards the portal that glowed a brilliant silvery blue, almost matching the color of Rin's runes when energy was being tempered.

Ever the gentlemen, N and Kazuya stepped through first, sliding through the swirling, glowing doorway of light easily. Mai looked over at Rin, her composure astounding even herself; she felt no fear going into this mission whatsoever. Rin nodded minutely and they clasped hands before stepping into the portal of light together.

The stomach roiling sensation of vertigo slammed into Mai, her sudden awareness of her surroundings momentarily swayed as she fought to calm her stomach. The scent of cold, wet stone assaulted her nose and she glanced up. They were in a central courtyard of some sort, grass growing between the cracks and on all four sides of them were ionic columns and fancy lattice work that had rotted away over the course of many years. It looked as though they were in the middle of a hotel or company building courtyard; countless windows lined the five stories that surrounded them and Mai bit her lips to keep them from quivering.

She could feel them. Everywhere. Spirits closing in and congregating towards this new beacon of energy that N and Kazuya exuded without meaning to.

"N, your energy is attracting them. Yours, as well, Kazuya. Put a clamp on it," Rin warned, her hand reaching backwards to grip at the hilt of her weapon firmly. Both males started out of their momentary stupor, their eyes hardening as they focused on realigning the mental constraints that bound their energies to them.

And just like that, the attention they drew to themselves dissipated. The spirits here were mostly blind, from what Mai could tell. Not blind in the fact that as live humans they were blind, but in the fact that they weren't strong enough to manifest those physical qualities they once had when they were part of the living.

And for spirits to become stronger, they needed to consume other spirits. A form of cannibalism, you might think.

Both Rin and Mai breathed a soft sigh of relief. The amount of spiritual congregation was astounding in this location and when the spirits had become aware of the Givers' energy, they'd come forward, pressing against the consciousness of the two Receivers.

It felt like suffocation. They could not sense anything other than the presence of the undead.

Once the tickling sensation of the spirits reached the outskirts of their awareness, Rin knew they were safe for the time being. Everyone knew, though, that the longer this mission trailed on, the more chance that the spirits would be able to consume each other creating some that were more capable of combat than others, and _they_ were never much fun to exterminate, because it meant they had the consciou thought to _fight back_.

"Let's get this done and over with by sunset, if possible," Kazuya stated monotonously. That left them with just under twelve hours to complete the mission, which should be fairly easy if they worked fast enough to prevent evolution.

"Go find a high vantage point and watch our backs, Kazuya. Rin and I will fight close combat to exterminate all that we can here," N replied lowly, the muffled quality of his voice making it hard to understand him. Kazuya nodded before turning to look at Mai; she understood the implications. She took the initiative, turning on her heel promptly before walking towards the nearest corner where a flight of stairs wound its way upwards, a landing at each floor.

The overwhelming desire to impress Kazuya, this mysterious man from her dreams, clouded her thoughts. She would prove to him that she was able to help as something more than a Receiver.

She climbed the stairs, her combat boots clicking softly against the rusted metal of the staircase. For a few moments, she thought that the rusted metal wouldn't be able to hold her weight, let alone the combined weight of Kazuya and herself, but the metal held after a bit of groaning and readjusting. They made it to the fifth floor, no conversation passing between them whatsoever.

Kazuya nudged her arm gently, almost scared that at the slightest touch, this tiny female would break into a million sparkling fragments. He'd spotted a prime spot to stay and take out any apparitions that caught their partners unawares. The area lay in the shade between two of the ionic columns, the railing that surrounded the perimeter of each floor offering them further camouflage.

Once they were situated with Kazuya lying on the ground, he pulled the sheath from his belt and what Mai had originally thought to be two daggers, was actually a twin set of guns. Not big ones, but smaller, ornately decorated pistols. They seemed to have a Russian influence on the design; the curved edges and the lovely metalwork could be held accountable for that, and the gorgeous sheen of the gold work impressed Mai, who had no previous experience with ballistics.

"They're beautiful," Mai breathed as she watched Kazuya twirl the two guns expertly with his slender fingers. Kazuya smirked.

"I know. I made them," The raven haired Giver snarkily replied in his usual cold manner. Mai scoffed softly.

"You're such a narcissist, you know that, right? You act as though the ground you walk upon should be worshipped, but I can tell you right now, Mr. Narcissist, that isn't happening with me," Mai turned her nose up indignantly. She was startled when a low chuckle resounded beside her in answer to her huffyness.

"I wouldn't want it to. Now, I need your abilities to help me load the guns - They run off of energy bullets rather than physical. The fight is about to start." Kazuya answered, the seriousness back in his tone. Actually, it never left, Mai amended in her head. He was always going to be serious, she figured.

Down below, Rin and N were situating themselves, getting ready for combat. Rin had unsheathed her blade, the Z-shaped blade catching N's attention immediately; he'd seen nothing like the blade the female held. The edges curved wickedly, glinting in the soft light of the morning and the loop of delicate metal chain she held in her left hand with the crescent shaped blade attached at the end shimmered in a dangerously beautiful way.

"It must be a custom," He'd commented upon seeing the entirety of her weapon. Rin nodded, her lips quirking up as she admired the beauty and tell tale death message her sword seemed to give off.

"She is," Rin had answered back, running one gauntlet clad hand along the flat edge of her sword, tracing one of the many runes that covered the blue steel.

"She?" N inquired, swinging his bow off of his back as he nocked an arrow into place with expert fingers. He'd been shooting with a bow for so many long, arduous years he could shoot within a centimeter of his intended mark on his target in his sleep.

"Her name is Krasivaya," Rin had replied, lovingly running her fingers along another of the black runes. N looked up, eyebrow raised in questioning; he recognized the ancient language.

"'Beautiful Death'? Russian?"

Rin nodded in affirmative. The chain attachment ringing delicately with each movement she made. "Death by Krasivaya is truly a blessing. I have several cleansing runes engraved into her so any spirit I slay will be cleansed and sent onwards to a happier place."

N nodded in understanding. This woman was a phenomena in the likes of which he'd never seen.

Just as he was about to respond, a flash of light sparked in his peripherals and he turned, catching the indigo gaze of Kazuya. The doe eyed female was laying beside him, her gloves glowing as she tempered the energy Kazuya gave. They were ready.

N fixed his stance, swinging his bow into an offensive position. Rin, taking his cue, raised her blade in preparation for combat. Her blood rushed in her ears and her heart pounded but she let none of it show.

She exhaled deeply before giving a minute nod to N.

It was calm for the next few heartbeats before N released the constraints in his mind and there was an explosion of energy that bathed the entire courtyard in fiery light.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ FIN ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello everyone! I'm so very sorry for not updating this in a long, long time, but do forgive me. I try my best to outline what I want to happen in each chapter before writing in specific parts and then connecting them all in the end. In any case, I hope you all enjoy!

Read and Review!

SimplyFalling211


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The surge of spirits was unlike anything Mai had ever felt; it pushed and shoved, clouding her mind's awareness as they jostled to get closer to the light that N emanated, using it to draw them closer in order to exterminate them. They crowded around the Giver and Receiver pair down below as though they were the only gateway out of this enclosed hell they couldn't escape on their own.

Beside her, she could sense the fact that Kazuya was taking aim with his ornate pistols. To get the bullets that the pistols needed, he had given her his energy and she was, of course, supposed to receive, convert, and then return the energy in a form more suitable for the weapon.

His energy was something she had never experienced; there was nothing she could do to prepare herself for the onslaught of white hot energy that burned through her veins with an intensity that bordered something along the lines of _vengeance. _

She could faintly recall gasping out in pain as his energy surged through her, forcing all of the little hairs on her body to stand on end as though she were being electrocuted. Despite the amount of pain that rushed her, Mai locked her jaw and forced her own energy into the fiery surge that threatened to burn her from the inside out.

She was accustomed to her energy tempering, cooling even, the energy of the Giver until it was warm. With the Narcissist, it was different; their combined energies was even _hotter. _

The warm golden glow that she was so used to returning came back in a fiery, silvery white torrent of unbridled, raw _power_.

Kazuya directed the deluge of energy towards his pistols, watching the tiny meter on the hilt fill up to capacity with the silvery power. Each pistol could shoot 50 bullets when fully charged. With 100 shots, he could easily take down 100 malevolent spirits.

In fact, he'd been known to take down more than 350 spirits with his two pistols when fully charged if he had the right vantage point. To him, shooting was something more than just simple accuracy; it was an _art_. Something he'd honed for endless hours, slaving in the practice observatories at the previous Compound, firing shot after shot.

To him, it was all about _efficiency. _Who said you could limit the saying to just two birds and one stone?

The more he could take out with a single bullet, the better.

As soon as the two meters had been filled, he cut off the flow of energy, watching as the gloves she wore kept the energy at the surface of the fabric and he need only touch the handles of his pistols to her glowing forearms to begin recharging them. Convenient.

Down below, the spirits surged into a helpless, mindless, turmoiled frenzy as they all sought out this power source that promised them the potential to get out. N's jaw was clenched as his cowl was whipped from his head in the frenzy of his pent up energy; the wind swirled, tousling his ashy blonde locks as he focused on being the catalyst. His training clicked into place and he raised his bow, using the big muscles of his back and upper arms to nock and pull back the arrow to the corner of his mouth.

Just as Kazuya had Mai fill his pistols with energy bullets, N had Rin temper his entire quiver of arrows with a combination of their energy. The blazing emerald green of his energy twisted in tandem with her own silvery blue vitality on the tip of his arrow; his arrowheads were broadheads made of onyx, specifically designed to store the energy of a Giver and Receiver pair. His bow sang and the arrow leapt from the string, tearing a massive, blazing rift in the sea of spirits.

3 meters away from her partner, Rin spun, flipped, and twirled as she lashed at every spirit from all directions, never staying stationary. Her training had kicked in as a Chaser and as one of the higher ranking officers of the Guard - her feet rarely paused as she moved in swift, graceful motions, her blade glimmering in the emerald hue that saturated the battlefield.

Krasivaya was swung in a deadly arc, slashing through the midsection of three spirits before she was abruptly swung upwards, cleaving a spirit in half. The dainty chain that was wrapped around her forearm came undone of its own accord and Rin ground her heels harshly into the stone flooring before using her earlier momentum to begin swinging the crescent shaped blade in a small yet ever increasing arc.

Kazuya narrowed his eyes in concentration as he watched the other Receiver cleave through the outer perimeter of the spirits; he had no intention of watching one of his bullets bounce off of the moving, snake like chain.

_There._

Without hesitation, he fired, caressing the trigger gently yet surely. The bullet lit the emerald tinged field a startling, silvery white for a flash; the bullet, much the same destructive power as one of N's arrows, pierced through the roiling, yet diminishing mass of spirits, taking with it more than a fourth of the remaining spirits.

Mai was in awe; she'd never seen a Giver work with any form of ballistics in her time of being a Receiver. The power that a single bullet held was beyond anything she'd ever seen. It made her question exactly how many spirits could be taken out with just one shot. According to her quick analysis of the field, she had to estimate at least twenty were taken out.

They were situated at a vantage point that was high enough to render such a shot but low enough that should a spirit be able to sense the brimming energy that exuded from the Narcissist, they could easily get close enough to cause harm. That goes without saying if Kazuya let them, though. The pistols' firing ranging was deadly at this distance - Mai could only imagine the damage it could cause from point blank.

Kazuya sank into his training, his mind wandering back to the hours spent motionless at a prime vantage point, picking off his targets one by one with his pistols as they crossed his path, unknown of their fate. Again, he pressed gently on the trigger, the flash that illuminated the field this time was brighter than the last. He could choose the amount of energy that went into each bullet with a small lever next to the fill level. The tiny button would widen the barrel of the pistol until it was to his preference and use the necessary amount of energy to create the shot. As one would believe, the more energy used, the more powerful the shot.

The reason Kazuya had chosen to amp up his precious fuel use was because N had nocked one of his arrows in place, the tip alight with energy. The moment that the bow sang its deadly song, he'd fired his bullet to intercept the tip. As he expected, N's arrow cut straight through the bullet of energy, causing the entire field to be bathed in a flood of light as the energy shards rained down upon the last of the spirits, decimating them as though they were nothing more than flimsy targets at the shooting ranges all Compounds were equipped with.

There were a few beats of silence as the dust settled, the Giver and Receiver pairs situated at the two levels watching warily to ensure that the explosion hadn't triggered another onslaught of unwanted attention.

Rin let Krasivaya's tip hit the stone ground, the audible '_clink!_' dissolving the weary tension that was evident from their combative sequence.

"That wasn't as intense as what I'd imagined," N spoke, raising the cowl back over his head to prevent the debris from settling into the fine ash blonde locks on his head. Rin hummed in agreement, her gaze swiveling up to make sure that her charge wasn't harmed.

"Mai?" Her voice carried over to Mai and Kazuya, the lilting notes of her voice playing along their ear drums. "I'm good!" Mai answered cheerily, willing the energy in her gloves to be stored within the material's fibers rather than resting on top. She rose to her feet deftly, dusting off her tunic and turned to help Kazuya up. His deep indigo eyes glanced at her outstretched hand before looking back up to meet her cinnamon gaze. He stood without her assistance, merely acknowledging her with a curt nod as he brushed past her and towards the metal staircase they'd initially come up.

Mai bristled. _'Too good for __my__ assistance, huh? Narcissist.'_

She followed him down the stairs nonetheless.

"We have a few more hours until sundown; there has to be a reason that there was so much spiritual activity here," Kazuya stated, his lace up combat boots clunking against the dull metal as he went to meet up with the other pair. He could hear the petite brunette behind him grumbling irately to herself and had to wonder for just a moment if it was about him.

N nodded in agreement, turning his head to analyze the surroundings. The exterior was plain, nothing ornate seemed to stand out, yet he could feel a prickling in his consciousness that forced him to stay alert.

He scanned the rows of windows, going first from the fifth and working his way down to the first. He could vaguely see a change in building material between the third and fourth floor which would lead to the conclusion that there was first three stories, and then renovations had occurred to add the remaining fourth and fifth floors.

"What would an inn have that could cause so much spiritual activity to congregate here?" Mai questioned softly, large brown eyes wandering around and roving over the meticulous detail of the ornate metal railings, her eyes spotting something that looked out of place.

"There. What's that on the fourth floor?" Mai asked, her head tilting as she began to make her way towards it. Rin deftly swung her crescent shaped blade attachment so that it hooked onto a pole on that floor and took a running start, her small feet finding multiple purchase points as she bounded up the metal railings. She pulled herself over the railing of the fourth floor before Mai had reached the bottom of the stairwell.

'_Show off,'_ Mai thought with an endearing smile on her face - Rin loved to show that she was on her A-game _at all times_.

"Rope. A hanging rope." Rin called out, holding the knotted length in petite hands, the thick coarse hemp was dirty and looked dark with age, as though it hadn't been used in years. The petite raven haired female turned it over in her hands for a few seconds before her features darkened.

"What is it?" Kazuya asked sharply, his indigo eyes zeroing in on the Receiver. Rin looked up at him, her sterling gaze piercing in the growing gloom.

"The rope isn't just dirty. It's coated in blood," She stated softly, using Krasivaya's tip to cut through the base of the rope. She swung back down to the ground level where N simply scoffed at her.

"Of course it might have blood on it. Hanging usually mean that the rope chafes against the victim's neck which would cause the blood to stain it." N was busy polishing the onxy arrow heads that he could salvage from the massacre. Rin shook her head gravely before meeting their gazes one by one.

"No. This blood is fresh."

Yes, yes, I know it's been entirely too long but I've literally had this chapter stored in my drive for over a year and I totally forgot about it and I'm super sorry. I also need to go back and edit the first three chapters, they're awful, God. Why didn't anyone tell me?! You guys have fun with this chapter. I'm at a writer's block, so supply me with plot bunnies on where you want this to go..


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